These brief stop-motion films were used
to illustrate the short stories read by
Geoffrey Hayes on the Thames TV series "Rainbow".
The Swallow Street residents
were a mixed bag of folk, old and young,
and of different ethnic backgrounds.
There was Willie and Susan, and Joey, and
a dog called Fuzzby, Abel Jones
the garage man, Mr Bep, Mr Grindle, little
Clare Nap and Barney - oh - and
others I've yet to identify. The most important
character, however, was Grandma
Bricks and these short films are frequently
referred to under her name, sans the
"Swallow Street" tag.

Although these films were short they
were beautifully designed and animated
by the good folk at Cosgrove Hall. A
conscious effort was made to depict
the diversity of British street life
and a harmonious community. Indeed,
in The Swallow Street Party the
whole street comes together for a flag-
festooned bash, in the great Silver
Jubilee tradition of '77.

"Grandma Bricks" was one of
three stop-motion series produced by Cosgrove
Hall for "Rainbow", the others
being "Sally and Jake", and "Robin and Rosie of
Cockleshell Bay".
They also produced the show's 2D title sequence and a
selection of picture interstitials known
as "Lines and Shapes".

These three stop-motion series served
as an interesting steppingstone
for Cosgrove Hall. They bridged the
gap between the 3D caricatures of
"Noddy" and "Chorlton
and the Wheelies" and the naturalistic successes
of their later films and specials (see
The Rainbow Connection)....

Swallow
Street episodes

Grandma's
Lost Glasses
Painting the Grocer's Shop
Grandma and the Cakes for Tea
The Shops of Swallow Street
Sunday in the Park
Grandma, Mechanics and the Box
Susan's New Dress
Grandma's Broken Shopping Bag
All Fall Down, Children
The Large Box
Grandma and the Hats
Careless Children
Swallow Street Hopping Race
The Children's Tortoise
Barney Buys the Bread
Children's Bouncing Ball
Grandma Hangs a Picture
Everybody's Bumping
Swallow Street Stops for Tea
Swallow Street Under Snow
The Family Picnic
Clair Naps Birthday Party
The Street Party
Cleaning Up Grandma's Shop
Willie's Ill
Fusby's New Bone
Fusby's Noise
The Children Help Grandma
The Book Race
Grandma Forgets the Bread
Willie and the Biscuit Tin
Grandma and the Spanner
The Children Tidy the Living Room
Baker and the Rolling-Pin
Grandma and the Clothes Line
Three Wheels on my Pram
Grandma and the Hedgehog
Fusby Goes to the Park
Closing Mr Crispin's Shop
Susan's Fifth Birthday
Baker and the Missing Buns
Mr Brindle and the Sack
Barney Drops the Oranges
Grandma and the Table

Swallow
Street merchandise

Two Swallow Street tales feature in "Stories
From Rainbow", a storybook
published by William Collins in 1979. Grandma
Bricks of Swallow Street
and A Swallow Street Party are illustrated
with colour photos from the
production. It's interesting to note that
many of the other stories in this
volume - all taken from the "Rainbow"
series - are written and illustrated
by Bridget Appleby, who became something of
a Cosgrove Hall stalwart.
She stayed with the company for two more decades,
before leaving
in 2006, and during her tenure she originated
both Oakie Doke andEngie Benjie...

films created and animated
by Cosgrove Hall

stories read by Geoffrey Hayes
written by John Kershaw

On
the web

Rainbow.web This
splendid Rainbow site covers all aspects of the series in detail.
Best of all is the 'history'
section which features comments from series
devisor and producer Pamela
Lonsdale who mentions her first contact
with Cosgrove Hall, back
in the first days of the show...